From the makers of ‘Superbad’ and ‘The Pineapple Express’ comes ‘Goon’, a largely forgettable, occasionally funny, and often quite irritating ice hockey film.

When nice-but-dim Doug Glatt (Seann William Scott), a bouncer in a Massachusetts night club, attends a local ice hockey game, his life takes a dramatic turn. Doug ends up beating the crap out of one of the visiting players and the home team coach, much impressed, recruits Doug to become the team’s enforcer – or ‘goon’.

Unfortunately, Doug’s not too hot on his skates, which initially causes a certain amount of resentment and ridicule among his new team mates. However, Doug’s bone-crunching antics on the rink soon earn him a little respect. Before long, Doug is on his way to Canada, having been signed up by the Halifax Highlanders. He becomes responsible for the on-the-rink protection of messed-up star player Xavier LaFlamme (Grondin).

Largely thanks to ‘Doug The Thug’, the Highlanders are soon flirting with the big-time. Meanwhile, away from the ice rink, Doug catches the eye of die-hard hockey fan Eva (Alison Pill). Complicating matters is Eva’s boyfriend, but this this doesn’t bother simpleton Doug too much.

What follows is a rather predictable, cliché-ridden underdog story. The biggest disappointment is the film’s obsession with the violence. Given the subject matter, a certain amount of brutality was always going to be essential, but it’s way over done.

The never-ending stream of slow motion shots involving fists flying, faces breaking, teeth tumbling and blood splattering, will, for many viewers, get pretty wearing, pretty quickly. It also comes at the expense of leaving potentially interesting story lines badly underdeveloped.

The love story between Doug and Eva, in particular, is unconvincing and awkward. The relationship between Doug and his disapproving well-to-do Jewish parents, who vainly hope that Doug could still go to medical school one day, offers some of the film’s funniest and more touching moments, but could have been given a much more central role. The Highlanders themselves are a wide spectrum of characters, ranging from a depressed captain with marital problems to a pair of Russian perverts, but the team’s dysfunctional nature is used only for toilet humour. It’s funny enough at times, but never really hilarious.

Scott gives a strong performance as Doug, but the script offers him little to work with. Doug’s nice-guy demeanour is at odds with his frequent outbursts of brutality, and his naivety/stupidity, while perhaps a necessary part of his ‘goon’ persona, makes for for uninspiring and occasionally awkward viewing.

Liev Schreiber gives the stand-put performance as Ross Rhea, the legendary yet somewhat world-weary enforcer of a rival team, who has sworn to show Doug no mercy if ever they throw down on the ice. The scene in which the two meet in a roadside diner, which sees Rhea offer Doug some fatherly advice, is one of the film’s high points. Jay Baruchel, who also wrote the screenplay and produced the film, is by turns entertaining and annoying as Doug’s crazy, gay best friend Pat.

For those just looking to see a testosterone-fuelled punch ‘em up, ‘Goon’ is just the ticket. Those looking for much character involvement, or hoping to see a comedy that is consistently and genuinely funny, will probably be left disappointed by this oddball ‘Rocky’-meets-’Forrest Gump’-Dancing-on-Ice offering.